Walter Zenga’s men surprised many by beating one of the favourites for the Championship crown.
Wolves’ Danny Batth
Danny Batth has explained to the Express and Star that being written off in the build-up to the game was motivating Wolverhampton Wanderers ahead of their clash with Newcastle United on Saturday.
Wolves were unsurprisingly deemed to be underdogs for the game at St James’ Park after Rafael Benitez’s men maintained their position in the Championship’s automatic promotion spots with a 6-0 thrashing of Queens Park Rangers in midweek, while Walter Zenga’s side were taken apart by Barnsley with the Tykes leaving Molineux with a 4-0 win.
Wolves manager Walter Zenga
But the Midlands side secured one of the most surprising results in the division at the weekend as a Chancel Mbemba own goal and a wonderful strike from Helder Costa inspired Zenga’s men to a 2-0 win.
And the club captain suggested that the pre-match assessments of how the game would go was all the inspiration the team needed to go out and put in their best display of the campaign.
Wolves celebrating Helder Costa’s goal
“The odds were stacked against us. People were thinking there’d be a big gap between the two teams,” he told the Express and Star.
“I backed us. I revel in that. When people write you off it gives you more determination.”
Wolves’ fans celebrate their second goal against Newcastle
The victory may perhaps suggest that the team have been guilty of complacency when they have come up against sides that they would expect to beat as Saturday’s performance was one of an outfit that should be battling near the very top of the table.
And Zenga will now be hoping that his players can replicate that kind of display in the games which see them go in as favourites as it is unlikely that many teams in the divisions would be able to cope with that performance.
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